Acetylene-candle.



R. R. ARNOLD. AGBTYLENE CANDLE.- APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 7, 1911.

1 ,043,039, Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

Illl/ l r RALPH R. ARNOLD, OF CRIPPLE' CREEK, COLORADO.`

ACETYLENE-CANDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

Appiicaiion fue@ August 7, 1911. seriai No. 642,668.

To all whom 'it may concern: j

Be it known that I, RALPH R. ARNOLD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cripple Creek, in the county of Teller andV State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene- Candles, of which the following is a specication.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in the construction of acetylene lamps, and relates particularly to acetylene candles for miners use.

To those familiar with the use of ordinary acetylene lamps it is known that their unhandy shape and size render them impractical for the use of the miner, will discard them for the ordinary tallow` candle which he may use in his miners7 candle stick. The superiority of the acetylene light would make it preferable to the ordinary candle provided it could be made in a form readily adjustable to the miners demands, easily refilled and economical in its consumption of carbid.

llVith a knowledge of these conditions, my invention aims to overcome the objectionable features of acetylene lamps for minersuse by providing a gas Agenerator of approximately the size and shape of the ordinary candle and adapted to be used in the standard miners candle stick.

My invention will be referred to as an acetylene candle.

My invention also has for an object the construction of an acetylene lamp or candle in such a form as to make it economical of carbid. This result l obtain by using a cartridge having a permeable casing through which the water may have free access to the carbid, thus eliminating the great fault of acetylene lamps in general; that of using only a part of the carbid placed in them as a large part of it is usually soon surrounded by oxidized waste which precludes the possibility of its being reached by the water and thereby producing gas.

With these and other objects in view as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts that l shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention who ` partition reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l `represent-s a side elevation of my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. t is a side elevation of the carbid cartridge.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying draw ing by the saine reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a straight metal tube forming the periphery of the candle. The numeral 2 designates a circular metal partition rigidly connectedto the internal circumference of the tube l and dividing said tube into a section 3 known as the water reservoir, and

`a section d constituting the carbid chamber.

il metal disk or cap 5 provided with a relatively small aperture a for air entrance, is detachably connected to' the upper end lof t-he reservoir' 3, thus closing the same. Located in the disk 5 is a detachable plug 6 which-closes the water inlet of the reservoir.

An open ended tube passes through the 2 and is rigidly attached thereto, and extends downwardly into the chamber fi, thus affording a water passageway between tlie reservoir 8 and the chamber 4;. An adjustable needle 8 extends through the opening in the tube 7 and is formed at its outerend with a'liandle 9 which has a bearing on an adjustable plug 10 located in the capl- 5, the manipulation of which plug adjuststhe needle S. Said needle is provided at its point of entrance to the tube 7 with a preferably rubber stopper S"l which by the adj ust-ment of the needle 8 is capable of interrupting entirely the flow of water from the reservoir 3 to the chamber 4:. A collar 11 is attached to the stem 8 at a point intermediate of its extremities, and a coiled spring 1Q is disposed about said stem and bears' at one end on the collar ll and at its other end on the plug 10, ,the function of said spring being to return the needle 8 to its adjusted position after it has been displaced by the manipulation of the handle 9.

A guard 18 preferably formed of wire is rigidly connected to the partition 2 and extends int-o the chamber a to a point beyond the opening in the tube 7, where it extends in a plane at a right angle to the axis of the tube 7 and in the path of any foreign matter which might otherwise interfere with the proper operation of the needle as the cartridge 14, thus protecting said tube from interference in its operation.

A permeable carbid cartridge 14, formed with a preferably cloth casing and of a diameter slightly less than the inclosing cham: ber 4, is detachably mounted within said chamber and from the nature of its casing and its position relative to the inclosing receptacle, the water which passes from the tube 7 has free access on all sides to the carbid. A detachable metal cap 15 retains said permeable carbid 'cartridge within the chamber 4.

A `detachable gas burner 16, preferably centrally disposed in an integral cylindrical boss 17 on the cap 5, is inclosed laterally by a demountable cylindrical open ended tube 18 Whose periphery is perforated intermediate of its extremities by relatively small orifices 18 opening at the base of the previously mentioned burner, thus affording proper draft to said burner.

^ A gas supply tube 17, forms an uninterrupted channel from the carbid chamber 4 to the burner 16, with the exception of an interposed, preferably felt, pad 17 which is located in the chamber 4 in close proximity to the partition 2 and so disposed as to screen the opening in the tube 17, thereby filtering the gas in its passageto the burner.

A preferably metal encircling band 19 is rigidly attached to the exterior periphery of the tube 1 at a point intermediate of its ends and effectively controls the position of my improved carbid candle in the standard miners candle stick in which it is designed to be used.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawing, the operation of my improved carbid candle will be apparent.

Water is poured into the reservoir 3 through the inlet port normally kept closed by the plug G, a carbid cartridge 14 is placed in the chamber 4 by removing the cap 15, and the needle 8 is adjusted by means of the adjustable plug 10 so that the water may flow through the tube 7 at the desired speed and come in contact with the carbid contained in the permeable cartridge 14. Upon the meeting of the water with the carbid, gas is generated, which, by its own pressure, is forced up through the filtering pad 17 and into the tube 17 a, through which it reaches the burner 16 and upon ignition produces the desired result.

For the purpose of facilitating the generation of gas previous to the lighting of the candle, the needle 8 is provided at its outer extremity with the handle 9 by which it may be raised to permit a freer flow of water to the carbid chamber 4, or to remove some obstruction in the tube 7, the stopper being returned to its former adjusted position by the operation of the coiled spring 1Q. Then it is desired to extinguish the light, the plug 10 is adjusted, thus allowing the rubber stopper S" on the stem 8 to descend and effectively close the mouth of the tube 7, by so doing entirely intercepting the fiow of water from the reservoir to the carbid chamber 4 and thereby interrupting the generation of gas.

The guard 13 protects the chamber opening of the tube 7 from interference by obstructions from the chamber 4, thus eliminating the possibility of said tube becoming clogged.

The use of the carbid cartridge 14 makes possible the quick replacing of the carbid and insures the economical operation of the lamp, since the water has free access to the carbid from all sides and the cartridge is of such shape that the oxidized carbid cannot form in a cake about its unused portion. Furthermore the construction of the permeable carbid cartridge of my invention makes it impossible for the ashes to enter and clog the water tube or to enter the gas feed tube and finally interfere with burner, as the preferably cloth exterior of said cartridge retains the waste material until the same is manually removed.

Vhile the accompanying drawing and foregoing description disclose what l believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but that various changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and proportion of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the ap Jended claim.

Having thus describe the invention what I claim as new is:

An acetylene candle comprising a cylindrical tubular body having a partition intcrmediate its ends dividing the body into an upper water chamber and a lower chamber to receive a carbid cartridge, a tube depending from said partition and constituting a water passage, a filter arranged immediately below the said partition, a guard depending from said partition through the filter and having its lower portion projected across the axis of the water passage and spaced from the lower end thereof, a needle extending through the said water passage and having its stem extended through the upper end of the body, a stopper on the said stem adapted to rest upon the partition and close the water passage, a closure for the upper end of the body, a plug adjustably mounted in the said closure -and fitting around and supporting the stein,

a spring arranged between the end of the the 9 said closure and disposed immediately adja- In testimony whereof, I aliiX my signature 1n presence` of Jnwo witnesses.

RALPH R. ARNOLD. [L 3.]

Witnesses:

FRANK Gr. WILLIS, R. T. STINsoN.

said plug and a stop on the stem, a gas-oonveying tube leading' upwardly from the partition to and into the closure for the upper end of the body, and a burner Carried by cent the upper end of the said gas-conducting tube.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

